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The SIGMA telescope

National Centre for Space Studies1988

Musée des arts et métiers

Musée des arts et métiers
Paris, France

The SIGMA coded mask telescope project, begun in 1981, was one of the key components of the French gamma-ray* astronomy programme. The aim of this project was to observe astronomical phenomena that traditional reflecting telescopes cannot reveal. Between 1983 and 1989, the CESR (Centre for the Study of Radiation in Space) the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) and the CEA (Atomic Energy Commission) constructed the SIGMA telescope, under contract to the CNES (National Centre for Space Studies). For eight years this instrument, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 1 December 1989, observed spatial phenomena emitting gamma rays such as black holes, significantly increasing our knowledge of the universe and its evolution. Its twin has been on display in the church of the Musée des Arts et Métiers since 2002.

Details

  • Title: The SIGMA telescope
  • Creator: National Centre for Space Studies
  • Date: 1988
  • Date Created: 1988
  • Location: France
  • Provenance: National Centre for Space Studies
  • Contributor: Author : Lionel Dufaux. English translation : David Wharry
  • Inventory number: Inv. PR078-0001
  • Credits: © Musée des arts et métiers-Cnam/Michèle Favareille

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